Liverpool man jailed for 14 years for firearms offences

A Liverpool man has today, Friday 7 June, been jailed for 14 years for firearms offences in Croxteth and Norris Green in January this year.

Leslie Garrett, 49, of Ternhall Road, Fazakerley, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, attempt robbery and possession of ammunition without a certificate, when he appeared in court in February.

The charges follow a number of incidents in Liverpool on the evening of 3 January when Garrett fired shots outside the Showcase Cinema on East Lancashire Road, in a shop on Lower House Lane and outside a property on Malpas Road in Fazakerley.

Nobody was injured during any of the incidents.

Following the first incident armed response officers, together with officers from local policing, detectives and other specialists, along with our partners from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service, were deployed to the area to provide reassurance and to identify and arrest the person responsible. 

Following extensive enquiries armed response officers carried out a warrant a property in Fazakerley and arrested Garrett in the early hours of the following morning.

Today, Garrett was jailed for 14 years with an extended four years on licence.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Ryan said: “Although nobody was injured during that evening the reckless actions of Leslie Garrett obviously caused a great deal of fear in the local community.

“A huge policing plan was put in place and Garrett was located and detained by our officers. The firearm he used, along with a quantity of ammunition, was also recovered which means it cannot be used to cause further fear or concern in our communities.

“Although Garrett’s intentions are not clear he admitted the offences and will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars because of his actions on that night.

“Firearms have no place on the streets of Merseyside. We are committed to removing them from our streets and I would encourage anyone who has information about who is using weapons or where they are being stored to contact us so we can take immediate action.”

Anyone with information can DM @MerPolCC or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.